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A Church of England bishop has called on Christians to reclaim the flag and their faith from rightwing activists, saying both were being desecrated by people seeking to divide the nation.
The Right Rev Arun Arora, the bishop of Kirkstall and the C of E’s co-lead on racial justice, made his comments in a sermon days after more than 110,000 people marched through London in a rightwing protest, many carrying crosses.
Some held banners and placards displaying verses from the Bible. Protesters chanted “Christ is King”, recited the Lord’s Prayer and were urged to defend “God, faith, family, homeland”.
Speaking at St James church in Manston, Leeds, Arora said Christians should not be “neutral in the face of violence and injustice. As followers of Christ, our duty is clear. To challenge those whose lips drip with vituperation and hate, to refute division and to restore dignity in building the common good”.
Rightwing activists have increasingly invoked “Christian values” and the need to defend a “Judeo-Christian culture” against an Islamic threat. Tommy Robinson, who led last Saturday’s march, reportedly was “led to Christ” while in prison earlier this year.
Before the march, the Right Rev Anderson Jeremiah, the bishop of Edmonton, issued a statement saying the march was “inextricably linked to voices and movements that have previously contributed to division and racial intolerance. This is at odds with everything we, and millions of Londoners, stand for”.
Bishops in the diocese of Southwark also issued a statement raising concerns that the march would “cause fear among minority groups. We wish to reject intolerance and we stand in solidarity with [those] celebrating the rich diversity of our communities”.
The Right Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the bishop of Dover, said: “While we must continue to champion the right to peaceful protest, I also want to affirm our responsibility to ensure that such expressions do not become platforms for intolerance or aggression.”
The language used by Arora in his sermon on Wednesday was significantly stronger than his colleagues’ earlier statements.
He said the “rising toxic tide of racism” was being felt all over the country. “Our overriding duty as the church … requires us to stand firm in a faith rooted in the common good.”
Protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers and flag-flying across the country had “barely concealed racist overtones”, he added.
“Sentiments that even five years ago would have been considered shameful are now being broadcast at public gatherings, accompanied by cheers and applause. Such sentiments have been accompanied by reckless voices of hate seeking to camouflage themselves in the language of patriotism and faith all the while debasing both.”
Some of those living in the Britannia hotel in Seacroft, Leeds, which has been targeted by rightwing activists in recent weeks, were “Christians who worship at our churches”, Arora said.
“Recently one of them spoke of how when he was crossing the road to go back into the hotel he was set upon by three men who beat him, punched him in the face and broke his tooth.”
Arora and the Right Rev Rosemarie Mallett, the bishop of Croydon, were appointed to jointly lead the C of E’s work on racial justice earlier this year.
